Effect of live and freeze killed larvae of preffered hosts on the biological attributes of predatory bug, E. furcellata

Abstract

Pentatomid predatory bug, Eocanthecona furcellata is a potential predator which effectively controls different lepidopteran pests of various crop ecosystems. Hence, proper utilization of this predator in biological control of insect pests is the need of the hour. In this regard, experiment was conducted to study the suitability of freeze killed larvae of Spodoptera litura and Corcyra cephalonica for mass rearing of E. furcellata based on different biological attributes. The total adult period of predator on live larvae varied significantly with frozen larvae of both the prey. The maximum consumption rate of adult predatory bug was recorded on freeze killed larvae of S. litura while minimum consumption rate was observed on live larvae of C. cephalonica. The results revealed that E. furcellata can be successfully reared on the live and frozen larvae of both the prey in laboratory conditions. Therefore, live and freeze killed larvae of S. litura and C. cephalonica may be exploited for mass rearing of predatory bug in laboratory conditions.